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All Rise...

Appellate Judge Mac McEntire is traumatized by the fact that he'll probably never get a date with Asia Argento.

The Charge

A new dimension of fear.

Opening Statement

Italian horror maestro Dario Argento came to America (Minnesota, to be exact)
in 1993 in the hopes of reaching the Western audience in a big way with Trauma, a mixture of murder mystery,
slasher horror, and serious themes of addiction and anorexia.

Facts of the Case

While driving home one day, David (Christopher Rydell, Flesh and Bone), a graphic designer and
recovering addict, sees a young girl on the edge of a bridge, possibly about to
jump to her death. He rescues the girl, named Aura (Asia Argento, the director's
daughter, Scarlet Diva), who is also an addict and an anorexic. The two
are suddenly separated, though, when Aura is reunited with her oddball parents
(Piper Laurie, Twin Peaks, and Dominque Serrand, The Usual). It's
a busy night for the family, because Aura's mom is holding a séance, which
is interrupted by "The Headhunter"—a serial killer who beheads
victims with an electric cutting wire.

With no one else to turn to, Aura reunites with David, fearful that she will
be the Headhunter's next victim. Aura also needs protection from some suspicious
medical professionals and their malicious attempts to "cure" her. Now,
David and Aura try to piece together clues to the killer's identity, all while
hiding out from the authorities and dealing with their own personal demons.

The Evidence

What can be said about Dario Argento that hasn't already been said? Some
movie fans love the dark, bloody thrills of his films, but for others, they're
either too slow or too derivative of other works. He has a reputation for making
overly gory films, yet many of his works lean toward the psychological horror
that plays on audiences' imaginations. So, for me, stepping back and attempting
to look at Argento's work as a whole, it appears that he's an "in
between" horror director. This is because his style falls somewhere in
between the blood n' guts slasher subgenre and the more high-minded horror
flicks popular in the 90s such as Silence of the Lambs or Se7en. Argento uses elements from both types
of films without stepping over the line from one to the other. This makes his
work unique, but not for all tastes.

"Not for all tastes" also describes Trauma quite nicely. The tone of the movie
jumps around from time to time. It begins in a fairly normal setting, but the
séance scene is more of the baroque style of Argento's earlier films. When
the action moves to a hospital setting, the story preys on fears of medicine and
surgery. If you're in an Argento film, places like clinics, hospitals and
boarding schools are not nice places for you to be. In these settings,
well-meaning "professionals" who claim they're "trying to
help" are likely up to no good, and that's the case here. Then the movie
progresses into murder mystery territory with David and Aura tracking down and
interviewing suspects. All the while, a black-gloved figure—another staple
of an Argento film—sneakily beheads victim after victim, often with
close-ups of the wire slowly slicing into a person's neck. While all this is
going on, there's a subplot about a young boy who believes something sinister is
happening in the house next door, which eventually turns into a dark and morbid
take on Home Alone.

Moving in and out of mostly mundane settings, Argento finds plenty of times
to pull out the visual flourishes. The hospital scenes are the visual peak of
the film, in which steadicam shots zip up and down hallways, capturing all the
chaos happening around the characters. Indoor scenes tend to have flat, drab
colors, while outdoor scenes are bright and lush with color. This of course
represents Aura's state of mind, how she desires freedom over being trapped
inside four walls for the rest of her life.

Trauma was one of Asia Argento's earliest roles, and the first time
she had been directed by her famous father. Although she's proven herself a
capable (and lovely) actress, perhaps she was too young at the time to carry
such a complicated role. Aura not only suffers from drug addiction and an eating
disorder, but she also has issues with her parents, she's dealing with the
deaths of people close to her, and she's afraid that a psycho is out to chop her
noggin off. That's a lot to ask of any actress, much less one as inexperienced
as she was at the time. That's not to say her performance is terrible, but she
never quite reaches the dramatic heights the script calls for.

As David, all Christopher Rydell is required to do is act hunky and heroic,
which he does well, but he too gets a moment to shine when his character goes
off the deep end, so to speak, in a scene that scared away many
"big-name" actors, allegedly because they were concerned about how it
might affect their image. Piper Laurie doesn't get a lot of screen time, but
she's as excellent as always.

A better understanding of the ins and outs of Trauma can be found in
the disc's commentary track by author and Argento expert Alan Jones. Here, Jones
reveals the changes the director made to his signature style in the hopes of
appealing to an American audience. This meant a more down-to-Earth setting and
cutting back somewhat on the gore. Argento considered these choices as
risk-taking, something he wanted to do with the film. His fans, though, wanted
more of the same, and the film was not well-received at the time. This
information-packed commentary also reveals that the "Asia" in Asia
Argento is pronounced "Ah-zee-ah," and that Dario would prefer it if
we all pronounce the film's title as "Trauw-ma," not
"Trah-ma."

The movie is presented in its original widescreen image, and although the
visuals are not as elaborate as some of Argento's other efforts, the picture is
clean with little to no defects. The 5.1 surround track has the sound effects
sometimes muffling the actors' lines, but the audio is terrific during the rainy
scenes. What is it about rain that brings out the best in surround sound? For
other extras, there's a brief featurette, an on-the-set interview with gore god
Tom Savini about his special effects work, a handful of deleted scenes, a poster
gallery, a Dario Argento bio, and trailers for other films of his.

Closing Statement

Just as Argento's work falls in between suspense and gore, this film too is
an "in between." It's in between the classics that put him on the map
and the new sensibilities he was developing. It has the blood and the gloominess
we expect from him, but it also puts an emphasis on drama and character
interaction not seen in some of the wilder horror movies out there.
Suspense/horror junkies will probably enjoy it, and I'd recommend a rental for
anyone else curious.

The Verdict

Dario Argento is found not guilty. Although he tried something new with this
film, he was smart enough not to stray too far from his roots. Anchor Bay is
also found not guilty, thanks to a nice presentation on DVD, especially the
excellent commentary. Court is adjourned.